Helicopter Museum

The museum was founded in 2020 by Alexey Igorevich Cherepnov, a former military helicopter pilot. “Aviation, especially helicopters, has always been and still is in my life’s DNA. My father, uncle, brother and I were all military helicopter pilots.

I am especially proud of my father, who fought two wars in Afghanistan on the legendary Mi-6, was involved in the cleanup of the contaminated zone following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, and in military actions in Georgia”, comments A. I. Cherepnov, the founder of the Helicopter Museum. The main goal of the museum is to draw attention to Torzhok as the center of the helicopter aviation of Russia, to promote the helicopter pilot profession, and to preserve the memory of the fallen military helicopter pilots. The concept of our museum is centered around not just the appearance but also the content, with the addition of interesting interactive exhibits. It all started when we purchased the legendary helicopter Mi-8. The service record indicates that the helicopter made flights in the north and once almost reached the North Pole. It also deserves the title “movie star” as it was this very Mi-8 that appeared in the adventure drama “Fire” (starring Konstantin Khabensky). After the filming, a sad fate awaited the aircraft, it was to be cut up for scrap metal. But as it turned out, there were people in the film crew who knew Torzhok and its rotary wing symbol of the 80s. It was with their help that the Vertical company managed to save the aircraft from destruction.

The team of the Helicopter Museum restores helicopters to working order so that everyone can see each exhibit with their own eyes and learn historical facts about each aircraft. Visitors can take part in the interactive performance. For example, tourists together with a pilot and guide have to prepare a helicopter for flight and simulate the start of engines, the process is accompanied by noise and tactile effects.

There are currently three exhibits in the museum’s collection! Helicopters: Mi-8, Mi-2 and the most important exhibit – the legendary Mi-6.

Mi-8. The Mi-8 helicopter has a fully built cockpit, which differs significantly from modern helicopters, since it contains only analog devices. Pilots who flew on such helicopters in the past used special rulers and drift meters, unlike modern models that use GPS satellite navigation systems. Another interesting fact about the exhibit is that it took part in the filming of the movie “Fire” as a stunt helicopter for filming fire scenes. All scenes inside a helicopter were also shot in this aircraft.

Mi-2. The Mi-2 helicopter is painted with bright colors specially to attract young visitors. In the cockpit there is working panel lighting, visitors can turn on all switches and simulate a flight. For adults this exhibit is also of interest as it is the helicopter from the movie “Mimino”, the aircraft of the main character.

Mi-6. The main exhibit of the museum is the legendary 1962 Mi-6 helicopter.

This model was given to the museum thanks toNadezhda Mikhailovna Mil, the daughter of the main designer of the Mi helicopters, Mikhail Leontievich Mil. This aircraft has been sitting at one of the airfields in the Moscow region for more than 31 years. It is now planned to restore it to working order and host interactive excursions in it. Visitors will help in preparation for the flight and in the simulation of the take-off, all accompanied by the noise effect inside the cockpit.